Making Up
by Inell13
Summary: The best part of fighting is making up. HermioneZacharias


"He's staring."

Hermione gave Harry an annoyed look. "Just ignore him and he'll go away."

"He never goes away," Harry muttered. Giving his best friend a teasing smile, he said, "You do realize this is a perfect time for me to say 'I told you so', don't you?"

"If you wish for me to hex you silly in the middle of Neville and Ginny's wedding you might attempt saying such a thing," Hermione said curtly. Her normal good humor was non-existent as she felt eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. She was doing her best to ignore him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of reacting, but it was becoming difficult not to turn around and respond to the challenge she knew would be present in his eyes.

"He's getting to you, isn't he?" Harry noticed how tense she looked, the way she was avoiding even looking in the general direction of the bastard that had upset her. Harry had no idea what had happened, had never much liked her choice in men, but he had finally accepted their relationship because he had realized that some things just don't make sense actually I do /I make sense. This time, though, it seemed as if there was more happening than just a silly argument between two very stubborn and opinionated individuals. They rarely argued anymore so he knew it must have been something major to cause such a reaction. Moving his hand behind her, he rubbed her back as the teasing smile left his face. "What happened, honey?"

"It's nothing." She gave him a weak smile before sighing. Resting her head on his chest, she whispered, "He's such an infuriating man. It's very complicated, Harry. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Do you want me to hex him for you?" Harry asked a bit too eagerly. It was no secret that he barely tolerated the blond standing by the window currently glaring at them. Not able to resist, despite being a rather mature man of twenty-five, he looked up and smiled smugly as he tightened his hold on Hermione. He loved her dearly, considering her a sister and a platonic soul mate, but his feelings had never strayed beyond friendly and sibling-like other than a brief infatuation during sixth year. The stubborn arse currently giving him an 'if looks could kill' glare was rather jealous and possessive, however, at least when it came to Hermione, and had never been overly fond of his close relationship with her. Of course, their animosity had existed prior to Hermione's romantic involvement with the obstinate and suspicious prat, so Harry had little guilt for using this opportunity to bother the bastard.

"Quit trying to provoke him." Hermione smacked his arm, not bothering to even look up to see what Harry was doing. Neither of her best friends were particularly thrilled when she became involved with him, but Ron had actually become rather good friends with him over the years. Harry, well, Harry was still overly protective of her and had decided that she deserved better. He supported her choice even if he didn't like it and she knew they were beginning to get along fairly well lately but Harry was always ready to antagonize him any time they had a fight, which, luckily, wasn't that often anymore.

"Who? Me?" Harry looked down and gave her an innocent look. Seeing the look in her eyes, he sighed. "It's big this time, isn't it? I'm sorry, Hermione. Is there anything I can do?"

"Just ignore him. I'm stressed and upset and really don't want to fight with him, especially on what should be a fun occasion. I honestly didn't expect for him to come here today." Hermione counted to ten before pasting a smile on her face. "Okay, enough of that. I'm not going to allow my day to be ruined. I need to relax."

"You may not get that chance," Harry sighed as he watched the blond move from the window and head directly towards them. "He's coming this way."

"What?" Hermione's eyes widened as she finally turned to look at him. They'd not spoken in days and she had assumed that would continue since he seemed unwilling to discuss anything with her. Her heart started to race when she saw him making his way across the room, the same way it had since she was seventeen and caught herself noticing every little thing about him.

The way the sun made his golden hair shine, bringing out darker highlights she had never noticed before. The way he focused his full attention on a problem he couldn't solve, asking questions and stubbornly refusing to give up until he was satisfied and had answers. The way his whole face lit up when he smiled. The way his laugh was infectious and his ability to make others smile so effortlessly. The way he'd cringe slightly when he was too blunt or demanding, apologetic after the fact but never admitting he went too far in his quest for knowledge. The way their petty bickering caused her skin to flush and her control to slip. In the nearly decade since, he could still manage to completely captivate her with just a look or smile. Even when they were bickering over the silliest things, she was torn between wanting to hex him or snog him.

This time, though, their fight had been far worse than any other. It hadn't even been a fight, really, which is what made it even more confusing. There had been no angry words, no raised voices, no smirk on his lips as he intentionally riled her up before proceeding to make her forget exactly what they were arguing about in the first place. No, this time he had simply stared at her silently, not saying a single word. That had been enough. She'd left him sitting in the restaurant and hadn't spoken to him since. After packing a bag, she'd left their flat, seeking refuge with Molly and Arthur. She'd been staying in the room she used to share with Ginny at the Burrow, and she honestly didn't think she'd slept since leaving him.

It was odd how something as simple as sleeping alone could feel so wrong. They'd been together since the end of sixth year when they'd started bickering in the middle of a DA meeting after he'd suspiciously doubted Harry's instructions. She'd stuck up for her best friend, just as she always did, and she'd been caught completely by surprise when he'd kissed her right in the middle of her defense of Harry's technique. That unexpected snog had led to a tentative date during the next Hogsmeade weekend and things had developed from there. Their relationship was rather tumultuous, to say the least.

They were both opinionated, enjoyed debate, and stubborn as Hell so they were reluctant to admit being wrong regardless of the situation. Her bickering with Ron had always been more like siblings, annoyed and aggravated, completely unlike what she shared with him. Passion she had only ever dreamed of experiencing, white hot fire burning her body, desperate and aching. Over the years, their fighting had become less frequent, now more intelligent debates or him merely attempting to annoy her always with great success that left her panting and sated and him smug and satisfied.

Sleep had been elusive without his strong arms wrapped around her, his body pressing against her. Shagging him was wonderful but she missed the quiet intimate moments even more than feeling him inside her, tasting her, the taste of him in her mouth. Not even four days apart and she was feeling a longing for him that kept her awake at nights, cotton sheets twisted around her legs, silent tears on her face as she wondered if this was really the end. He'd not tried to contact her since she'd walked away. No owls, no floo calls, no sudden appearance at the Burrow demanding that she return to their flat. It had been just as silent as he had been that afternoon they met for lunch. Silence from him was scary because he was normally anything but quiet.

Turning away from his approaching form, she blindly reached for a glass and started to take a sip, anything to keep her mind from the confrontation that would surely follow his arrival. Had she been thinking clearly, she would have noticed the look in his hazel eyes. She would have observed that he was looking at her as if she were his salvation, his usual lazy smile nowhere to be seen. She would have quickly found a way to leave the crowded party because it would have been obvious that he was planning on finishing the conversation she had begun three days before without a care to their surroundings. Instead, she focused on keeping tight control of her emotions so he wouldn't know how hurt, lonely, and miserable she was since leaving him.

She was about to take a drink of wine when his voice suddenly rang out, loud and clear in the noisy room. "Put that down, Hermione. What about the baby?"

Hermione could have heard a pin drop as everyone suddenly stopped talking. Her cheeks turned red, her eyes widened, and she heard Harry's soft gasp from beside her before he was squeezing her hand, suddenly seeming to understand what had caused this particular fight. Carefully putting down the glass, she looked up at the tall lanky blond who gave no impression to realizing what he had just done. Completely oblivious and tactless, he paid no attention to the fact that everyone was staring at them. It was too much. She couldn't handle this, couldn't stay strong when her entire world was falling apart. "Zacharias, really," she muttered before turning and fleeing the room with tears in her eyes.

"Bloody hell," he cursed as he watched her go, running long fingers through thick blond hair before starting to chase after her. A hand was suddenly on his chest and he looked into concerned green eyes. "Get your hand off me, Potter."

"Don't fuck this up, Smith," Harry said quietly. "I know you love her and, while I don't really think you deserve her, she loves you."

"I don't need your approval, you self-righteous prat," Zach muttered, his eyes moving to look at the door Hermione had just fled through.

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you," Harry smiled pleasantly, having given that warning more times than he could count since Hermione had fallen for the obnoxious Hufflepuff.

"You wouldn't have to, Potter." Zach gave him a slight smile. "She'd kill me herself. Now will you stop prattling on as if I care what you say and let me go find my wife and make this right?"

Harry laughed softly before moving out of Smith's way, watching him run after Hermione, wishing him luck even if he'd deny ever supporting their strange union. Turning to the other guests, he smiled wryly at Ron and said, "Guess we're going to be uncles. Let's make a toast."

He found her in the rose garden, sitting on a bench with her face in her hands, long brown curls hanging loose as if she were trying to hide. Feeling like a right fool, he approached her hesitantly. She stiffened when his feet kicked some pebbles but she didn't look up. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Where should I start?" he asked in an attempt to get a smile from her. Instead, she continued looking at the ground and ignoring him. Sitting beside her, he brushed her hair away from her face. "Will you look at me?"

"I can't believe you did that," she whispered as she looked up, her eyes red and tears on her face. "How could you just tell them all like that? You know I wasn't ready for anyone to know. We've not even talked about it and, after your reaction Wednesday, I didn't think it was something you wanted to tell anyone."

"Damn it, Hermione," he cursed as she turned accusing eyes on him. "I was shocked, okay? We've only been married two years and never talked about starting a family. We're so young and you work long hours and I travel and I didn't know what to say."

"It's not like I planned this," she snapped. "I've never given much thought to having children. I assumed it would be something we discussed in a few years, when we were ready for the responsibility and changing our lives. I was selfish because I wanted a few more years with just the two of us. We've used precautions since our first time so I don't know how it happened but it happened. We're having a baby. By the time I met with you to tell you, Zach, I was so excited about having our child growing inside of me but you just stared at me and didn't say anything and I got so scared that you didn't want me or this baby."

"You left before I could say anything, Hermione. I mean, you spring all of this on me during what I assumed was a romantic lunch and possibly a quick shag before getting back to work and I find out that you're pregnant, that we're having a child, and I didn't know what to say or do. I'm sorry for being completely lost and confused. I'm sorry I don't always have the right answers or know what to say or do the right thing. I'm sorry I let you leave me because my life is empty without you."

"You didn't try to see me," she accused softly, her hand moving to hold his as he smiled sheepishly.

"I didn't think you wanted to see me. You left me, Hermione. Do you know how it felt to get home from work and find you gone? To find the wardrobe open and see most of your stuff not there? I was so angry that you doubted me, that you had such little faith in my feelings for you. I wanted you to realize you were wrong about me and come back." He looked into her brown eyes and whispered, "I thought you'd come back."

"You stubborn prat," she smiled as she moved the back of her hand over his cheek.

"I came here today because I knew you'd be here. I had to see you, to tell you that I want you to come home. I don't know if I'll be a good father and I'm pretty certain I'll bugger this all up many more times and you'll want to hex me often but I promise that I will do my best. I love you, Hermione and I miss you so much."

"I miss you, too," she admitted. "Can we do this, Zach?"

Leaning forward, he brushed his lips against hers, kissing her tenderly before pulling back. Grinning, he said, "Yeah, I think we can. Just promise me one thing."

"What?" she asked suspiciously, not trusting the mischievous gleam in his eyes as he suddenly moved and pulled her onto his lap. Laughing, she gave him a pointed look. "You are not yet forgiven for announcing to a room full of people that we're having a baby, mister."

"Guess I'll have to work on earning my forgiveness then, huh?" He moved his hand along her ribs before cupping her breast and squeezing gently. His voice was husky as he spoke. "Never leave me again, Hermione. Hex me, curse me, shag me, but never leave me."

"I don't think shagging would be considered punishment," she said breathlessly, his lips blazing a trail of kisses down her neck. "Zach, we can't do this here. Someone might see."

"I don't know, love. You can get pretty rough at times. I think those nails of your have scarred my back several times." He teased her, watching as her cheeks turned a pale pink even as she squirmed in his lap. He moved her so she was straddling him, her legs on either side of the bench. "They're all inside enjoying the celebration. Besides, it makes it right exciting that someone could happen upon us, doesn't it?"

"Wicked man," she groaned as he teased her breasts, his mouth nibbling on her neck. Hermione unbuttoned his shirt, letting her fingers move over the smooth skin bared to her hungry eyes. It had only been three days since she'd left him, but they'd both been busy at work before she'd found out she was pregnant so they'd not made love in nearly two weeks. She unfastened his pants, freeing his erection from his trousers, his hands moving beneath her skirt, fingers moving her knickers to the side before brushing against her, getting her ready for him.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, pet." He winked and gave her a playful leer before asking, "You do remember what the best thing about fighting is, don't you?"

"Making up," she replied matter-of-factly, her lips curving into a naughty smile when he moaned as she touched him. He arched into her hand as she stroked him, their lips meeting hungrily as she positioned him and slid down, feeling him inside her. They began to move, his hands on her hips as she moved up and down, her fingers gripping his short blond hair as he made love to her mouth. Neither lasted long, clinging to each other as they found release.

Hermione felt his large hand on her stomach as they struggled for breath after their orgasms, giving him a curious look when she saw that he was just looking at her. "What is it, Zach?"

"We're having a baby," he said as a crooked smile crossed his lips. "She's going to be as beautiful and brilliant as her mum with her dad's amazing Quidditch talent."

"What if I he's /I as stubborn and opinionated as both of us?" Hermione arched a brow, her eyes moving over his face lovingly even as she planned a bit of revenge for his tactless announcement not even an hour ago. Perhaps something involving him tied to their bed and a bottle of honey. She had a craving for something sweet, arousal spreading over her just thinking about honey covered Zacharias.

" I She'll /I be perfect." His finger moved over her lips as their eyes caught. "Just like her mum."

"I'm far from perfect." Hermione rolled her eyes, blushing at the sincerity in his eyes as he looked at her.

"You're perfect to me." His fingers moved into her brown curls as he brought her head down for another kiss.

"We really should go back inside before people start to worry."

"I'd rather sit out here and kiss my wife," he muttered with a slight pout.

"You should have thought about that before telling them all that we're having a baby," she smiled smugly as she stood up, casting a quick cleaning charm on them both before trying to make her hair look as if she had not just been thoroughly shagged by her wicked husband.

"I didn't mean to tell them," he defended sheepishly. "I just wanted to talk to you and apologize. Guess I buggered that up, huh?"

"While I wish they had found under different circumstances, they would have been told eventually. Besides, I rather like how you apologize."

"Cheeky vixen." He stood and fastened his trousers, smiling when she laughed. Seeing the look in her eyes, he suddenly said, "You've not yet forgiven me being a prat, have you?"

"Of course not," she dismissed such a belief with a naughty smile. Buttoning his shirt, she looked at him from beneath her lashes and promised, "You shall be punished for your lack of discretion tonight when we get home."

Zach licked his lips, pleased to hear that she was returning home and excited as to just how she'd decide to punish him. Eagerly taking her hand, he started back towards the manor where the wedding had occurred. "We should get back and apologize for our abrupt departure earlier. Make nice, give the happy couple our blessing, then go home."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," Hermione declared with a knowing smile. She stopped him halfway there, pulling him towards her. Nibbling on his bottom lip, their eyes met as she huskily declared, "I've got a craving for something sweet. I do hope we have plenty of honey at home."

"Cor love," he whimpered as she wiggled against him a way determined to arouse him. He dutifully followed after her when she took his hand and led him back inside to officially announce that they were having a baby. Leaning close to her ear, he smiled as he whispered, "We'll pick some up on the way to the flat just in case."

The End


End file.
